Applicants' related application Ser. No. 07/282,013, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,472, discloses examples of personalized greeting cards and the production of those cards. Designs have also been imprinted on various other articles such as hats, notebook covers, signs, bumper stickers, umbrellas, cloth, or canvas items, cups, coffee mugs, certificates, key chains, balloons, buttons, business cards, and other custom designed items. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,643 discloses the imprinting of designs by a customer using an apparatus which has a central processing unit (computer) programmed with design rules that restrict the placement and size of certain print design elements to assist the customer in providing the customized imprinted articles.
In addition, EP Application No. 0 326 515 has addressed imprinting, or transferring of a complex image which has been obtained from the merging of a video/photo image into a decorative background and printing the complex image onto an ordinary blank card.
A problem sometimes associated with previously available systems is that they have been limited either by the number of output formats, or in the type of input that may be provided, or in artifacts resulting from the merger of image data. While the GB 2,246,929-A and EP 0 326 515 publications disclose the use of digital photographic images with other prestored images, there is no adjustment provided with regard to the quality of the image being presented with that of the prestored or created images. Thus, there is an inherent problem in providing a high-quality, professional-looking image onto the desired format. Further, the previous systems generally fail to take into consideration that when different output formats are provided for imprinting of the design, for example, onto cups, T-shirts, paper and other various formats, there is no consideration given as to the manner in which the initial information is obtained and manipulated by the apparatus. Typically, devices are configured so as to use a single type input device, such as film scanner, print scanner, video camera, computer generated graphic, etc., and a single type output device, such as a thermal printer, CRT printer, ink jet printer, etc. Image data files compiled by these different input and output devices are very different from each other. In order to combine image data files from different sources and print the desired image on the desired output format from a variety of available formats, would require the manipulation and combination of the image data files properly in order to obtain a high quality image. Additionally, known prior art systems have failed to incorporate an effective manner in which a single subject/object may be easily isolated from the background and combined into prestored images.
The Applicants have invented a system which is capable of easily producing a customized image obtained by combining a variety of different images from different sources onto at least one of a variety of different output formats wherein the image provided on the output format is of high quality in a professional format. The system also automates and coordinates the required operations in order to reduce the skill level of the operator while maintaining the versatility and high quality of the system. The present invention also minimizes any storage and computational needs required for the imprinting of the image onto any particular format. Additionally the present invention provides an easy and economical method for the isolation of a single subject or object which can then be easily combined with an other image.